Monday 26 July 2021

Calling on our Federal Government to relook into the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974

 

Recently I have spoken my views on issues pertaining to our country’s oil and gas, especially the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974 and for the Federal government to relook into this matter.

I thank our media friends who had seek my views on this matter and that what has been agreed when we formed Malaysia or when the Petroleum Development Act (PDA) 1974 was passed cannot be static.

If we look at the royalty percentage that Sarawak is getting now, which is a meagre 5%, is just pittance compared to what the federal government and Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) are taking.

The development gap between Malaya and the Borneon states of Sarawak and Sabah which had helped formed Malaysia, this has made many citizens in the two states question why they are still so far behind in terms of infrastructure development, schools, hospitals, roads, ports, etcetera.

Therefore, I had voiced out my full agreement that we need a relook into these matters. 

I also fully agreed to the views made by constitutional law expert, Professor Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi’s pertaining to the oil and gas issues which the Federal government must resolve issues of petroleum, oil and gas rights as well as rights over resources in the Continental Shelf of Sabah and Sarawak.

Prof Shad had mentioned this issue during the live webinar held by The Sarawak Initiatives (TSI) on July 24 and that the Federal government must resolve the oil and gas disputes with Sabah and Sarawak to prevent a larger and more complicated crisis.

According to him, even though this issue is a bone of contention, he expressed the view that in a federal system of government, the Federal government should be open to discussion and to (constitutional) amendment.




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